1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of construction, and more particularly to the erection of walls that withstand vertical and horizontal loads. The present invention also relates to environmental protection by incorporating nature as an integrated component of man made structures.
2. Prior Art
Most urban centers are located on prime arable land. Due to the rapid urbanization of the 20th century, there has been a substantial loss of these fertile lands, and there are three factors mentioned below that may slow down the deterioration process of these arable lands.
Vegetation created on these arable lands converts carbon dioxide to oxygen. An increase in vegetation in an urban setting can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases which could help reduce global warming.
Vegetation filters air pollutants.
An increase of vegetation in an urban setting gives the psychological benefit to urban inhabitants of having access to nature filled environments.
As mankind""s population continues to expand there will be a demand for low cost construction. One means to accomplish this would be to build modular main structural walls and then build a structure around the said wall. These walls will be utilized in many types of construction. These structural walls can be assembled from manufactured rigid components or a modular mold system can be used to cast these walls from concrete or concrete like material. The cast walls can be cast at a construction site or components can be cast in a factory and assembled at a construction site.
The challenge for builders will be to build structures that are inexpensive to build and can prevent the loss of arable land in urban settings.
One device for the incorporation of vegetation and man made structures is the use of rooftop gardens. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,724,766; 5,608,789 and 5,287,650 are examples where a layer of vegetation is installed on flat roofs. One disadvantage to these devices is the added expense of building a roof that can sustain the added weight of the vegetation and the means of sustaining that vegetation. Another disadvantage is the added maintenance of having to re-roof these roofs more often than a conventional roof. U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,675 is another method of incorporating vegetation on rooftops. A disadvantage to this patent is the limitation on how large the root ball of the vegetation can be which limits the growth to the vegetation. All four mentioned patents have the disadvantage of being able to use only a limited number of vegetation species.
Another means to incorporate vegetation into man made structures is the use of vegetation friendly retaining walls. These walls have either planters and/or access to the soil behind the structure in the hillside that the wall is retaining. Retaining walls of a modular design which U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,234 is an example can reduce the cost of building retaining walls. Building retaining walls of this type do an excellent job of incorporating vegetation into man made structures. Unfortunately retaining walls are not freestanding and cannot be used as a structural component for a freestanding structure. This limits its utility, to only structures that retain hillsides.
There are freestanding structures that incorporate vegetation. Examples of this type of structure are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,647,695 and 4,665,647. These freestanding walls are used for fences and sound abatement walls. The aforementioned walls do an excellent job of lowering sound levels behind and adjacent to the walls. These walls also create private spaces that are visually pleasing. Unfortunately, these walls cannot be used as a structural component for man made structures. These walls can only hold up their own weight and the vegetation encased in these walls.
One way to accomplish the goal of incorporating more vegetation in an urban setting is to attach vegetation directly to a freestanding structure. The oldest means of accomplishing this is to plant climbing vines at the base of a building and nurturing their growth. This method also creates an aesthetically pleasing environment, but there are some problems with this method. It takes decades for a structure to be enveloped by vegetation. This method is also limited because only a small number of species of vegetation are suitable for use with this method. Another way to accomplish this objective is to attach a system of planters to the face of a structure. The irrigation and drainage needs of this type of system are accommodated with a plumbing system. An example of this method can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,296. The disadvantage of this method is that the vegetation is isolated and cannot form an integrated ecosystem. Another method is to attach a system of soil filled bags to the wall of a structure. Vegetation is either planted between the bags of soil or an access slot is cut into the bag to allow the vegetation to be planted inside the bag. This system can be permanently attached to a wall or hung from a wall with a system that allows it to be detached from wall. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,579,603 and 5,257,476 are examples of this method. One disadvantage of this method is a limited number of species of vegetation can be used. Another limitation of this system is that it cannot be used as a load-bearing component of a structure. This system would also be more expensive to build than a system that incorporates vegetation as it is built because this system would be an additional step in the building process of a structure.
All the earlier mentioned strategies for incorporating more vegetation into a man made structure lack a structural load bearing capacity. The following six patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,836,126; 5,806,264; 5,216,863; 3,722,169; 3,631,647 and 3,466,823 are all capable of performing the load bearing needs for a structure. These patents use different means to achieve load bearing capability. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,836,126 and 5,216,863 construct load bearing walls by using molds to form concrete and reinforcing steel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,264 use a system of hollow bricks that when stacked can be filled with reinforcing steel and concrete to form a load bearing wall. U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,169 installs vertical piers that are used as guides for the horizontal components of a structure and together the vertical piers and horizontal components combine to form a load bearing structure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,631,647 achieve load bearing capacity by assembling manufacture steel components to form a load bearing wall. U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,823 use manufactured components that can be assembled to form a variety of structures. All five of the previously mentioned patents can be used for a load bearing component of structure but none have a capacity to incorporate vegetation into a structure.
(a) to provide a freestanding wall that can be used in a load bearing and shear capacity for any structure that incorporate this invention
(b) to provide attachment points for ease of assembly and construction of flooring and mechanical systems;
(c) to be able to build inexpensively by having the components needed to build said wall manufactured for ease of assembly.
(d) to be able to meet the various construction needs of building with this system by having both a steel or steel like assembly method and a concrete or concrete like material assembly method;
(e) to incorporate more vegetation into urban settings by building structures that provide for the needs of vegetation;
(f) to maintain the health of an ecosystem created on a Vertical Ecosystem Structure, electronic sensors can be installed to monitor the health of each plant;
(g) to provide micro-care of vegetation by allowing access to the roots of the vegetation used in a completed structure that use this invention;
(h) to create micro-climates by manipulating the directional orientation to the sun and/or enclosing this invention behind a glass curtain wall;
(i) to lower carbon dioxide levels in urban settings by having more vegetation in urban settings to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen;
(j) to have vegetation in urban settings filter air pollutants by providing various species of vegetation; this allows less polluted air available to urban inhabitants to breath;
(k) to lower ambient noise in an urban setting by trapping noise waves into the vegetation of a structure that incorporate this invention;
(l) to mediate temperature fluctuations by incorporating more vegetation into urban settings because vegetation has the ability to absorb and radiate heat
(m) to conserve water, this invention can use gray water to irrigate vegetation and septic tanks with leaching fields installed in the soil of the Vertical Ecosystem Structure can also fertilize the vegetation""
(n) to generate electricity for a structure by using solar panels as louvers for structures that enclose a V.E.S. behind a glass curtain wall to create a micro-climate;
(o) this invention can conserve water because being on the vertical plane, a large number of vegetation use the same amount of water that one plant would need on the horizontal plane for irrigation;
(p) to accommodate a large variety of vegetation and to control the growth of vegetation the retaining walls and structure that hold the retaining walls can expand or retract in relation to the main structural wall to vary the amount of soil to meet the needs of most types of vegetation;
(q) this invention can be cultivated with ornamental vegetation and/or crops providing foodstuffs, medicine and fibers for human consumption;
(r) to help insulate a structure build with a V.E.S. the soil can be used for its insulating capability;
(s) the retaining walls of this invention can be made from a variety of materials and shapes to give this invention a sculptural quality;
(t) the retaining walls of this invention will contain attachment points where vegetation can be attached to a structure to prevent the vegetation from tumbling down the face of a structure that utilize this invention;
(u) to create one ecosystem instead of isolated plants in planters this invention has one strata of soil that run from top to bottom;""
(v) to maintain the vegetation on a structure that utilize this invention there is a system similar to what high rise window washers use for vertical gardeners to maintain the vegetation of a structure that uses this invention;
(w) to help fertilize a structure using a V.E.S. chambers can be built into the structure that can compost the vegetation refuse from a structure that uses this invention;
(x) to build a structure that changes appearances monthly because it was cultivated with a variety of vegetation that flower with color at different times of the year;
(y) to urban inhabitants this invention has the mental health advantage of giving them the natural and serene environment of a rural landscape in an urban setting; and
(z) this invention also has a recreational capacity by incorporating hand holds and safety mechanisms for urban rock climbers to practice their sport.
Further objects and advantages are to provide a more nature filled environment for urban inhabitants to dwell in. Still further, objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.